


Midnight Smoke

by IdSellMySoulForRecentlyUpdatedFanfiction



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Ouran High School Host Club - Freeform, ohshc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-11 23:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4455884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdSellMySoulForRecentlyUpdatedFanfiction/pseuds/IdSellMySoulForRecentlyUpdatedFanfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cain is Haruhi's American cousin. Years ago, his parents died in a car crash, but only now have social services caught onto the fact he was living all by himself. Cain decided that he'd rather go live with Haruhi and her father than be put into foster homes, so now here he is. Going to some school for the horribly rich because he scored high enough on the test to get a scholarship. However, the Host Club can't let him wander around the school with Haruhi's secret, so they force him to join the Host Club. Little does Cain know, he's caught the eye of the silent host.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The American Bad Boy Host

    Honest to god all that Cain wants to do is find somewhere to study. But no, he can’t have nice things. The teacher had kicked him out of the classroom, the lunch room has a food fight going on, and the students in the library don’t know how to shut the hell up. Of course, none of them seemed to understand what Cain had shouted because he’d switched back into English. Well, a few had but they didn’t have to do anything because they’d already been quiet and actually studying. How they manage to do so in such a loud room is beyond Cain’s understanding, but he’s a bit impressed with the three.

    The student eventually wanders upstairs, and almost all the rooms there have some sort of commotion going on in them. One room seems quiet, though. Cain glances up to see which room it is. Music Room Three? Maybe he can actually get something done here. Cain cracks the door open, and almost immediately rose petals assault him. “Welcome!” Seven voices chorus, and Cain raises a brow as he recognizes one of them.

    “Oh, it’s a boy.” One of the voices says.

    “Haruhi?” Cain asks, and his cousin steps forwards in surprise. She doesn’t look like a mess, her recently horrible hair is actually styled well and her glasses are missing. Probably replaced by contacts or something. Where did they get the money for that?

    “Cain? What are you doing here?” Haruhi asks, and the rest of the people in the room watch the two with interest. Why the fuck are they all attractive as hell?

    “Do you mean in the room or-” Cain’s cousin cuts him off with a small smile.

    “Don’t be a smartass.” She says, rolling her eyes.

    “ _Well, you know what happened to mom and dad. The car crash. Social services may or may not have caught on to how I wasn’t living with anybody over the age of eighteen after I broke my wrist. They sent me here to live with you and Uncle Ryoji_.” Cain says in English, causing some of the people in the room to look at the two in confusion. Do they not know Haruhi can speak English?

    “Ah. Idiot.” Haruhi smiles. “Is the guest room okay?”

    “It’s bigger than the room I had before. Also, why didn’t tell me you were trans? What are your pronouns?” Cain asks, and Haruhi smiles and shakes her head.

    “No no no, I’m still a girl. I broke a vase, and I have to be a Host to pay off the debt.” Haruhi says, causing Cain to look a bit confused.

    “A vase?” He looks around. “Ah. A very expensive vase. Got it. What do you do here, exactly?” Cain raises a brow.

    “Entertain girls. We flirt with them for about half an hour and then another one comes by.” Haruhi explains. Cain crosses his arms and nods,  _feeling_  the others in the room staring at him.

    “ _You wanna… Uh, introduce me to them?_ ” Cain switches back to English awkwardly, because holy shit these guys are hot and every single one of them is staring at him. There’s also that little kid that Cain saw going into a classroom earlier today. Is he a  _student_? Why is he so small?

    “Oh, sorry. This is Tamaki-Senpai,” The tall blonde one, “Kyoya-Senpai,” Another tall guy, but he has dark hair and glasses and a grin that’s making Cain nervous, “Hikaru and Kaoru,” Twins with ginger hair and devious smirks, “Honey-Senpai,” The little kid who is apparently older than Cain, “and Mori-Senpai.” The  _very_  tall one with the little one on his shoulders and an emotionless expression. “Guys, this is Cain. He’s my cousin from America.” Haruhi introduces.

    “The other scholarship student.” Kyoya explains, still wearing the small grin that Cain absolutely doesn’t like. Haruhi sees it a millisecond before it disappears, and her eyes widen a bit as she starts shoving Cain out.

    “Yep. That’s him. Sorry that there isn’t any quiet here, Cain. I guess I’ll see you at the house.” Haruhi says, and Cain walks forwards willingly because otherwise neither he nor his cousin will move.

    “Yeah. Gotta go. Practice and stuff.” Cain says, walking towards the doors a bit faster. Of course, right before he makes it out the doors slam in his face. Cain scowls before looking down a bit, seeing a foot in front of his feet. The twins lean against the doors, smiling innocently up at Cain. “Funny. Move.”

    “We can’t exactly let you leave yet.” Kyoya says, and Cain can hear the smirk in the second-year’s voice.

    “What do you mean he can’t leave yet?” Haruhi asks, sounding just as annoyed as Cain. Cain turns around with a scowl, standing up straighter and crossing his arms.

    “We have no way of knowing if he will tell anybody your true gender. And we have no way of checking up on him constantly.” Kyoya says, and he raises his hand when Haruhi opens her mouth. “We can’t count on you for that. You’re related to Cain closely, and therefore you’ll leave it out if he slips up even twice.” Cain scowls. Why the hell would he tell anybody Haruhi’s true gender?

    “So, what, I’ll just never leave this room then?” Cain asks sarcastically, and there’s another smirk from Kyoya.

    “That is an option, but not the first one. You could, of course, come over when the host club is active, but then again that would waste our money…” The blonde guy with purple eyes perks up immediately. So Kyoya doesn’t make the final decisions. He sure as hell can make it seem like there’s only one choice left, though. Tamaki, turns to Kyoya, and the grey eyed boy nods. Bad for Cain.

    “He can be a host! Girls absolutely swoon over an accent, and very few people speak English here. Besides, we have no dark skinned Hosts yet, and diversity is always good because people have many preferences. What can you do well?” Tamaki turns to Cain, who takes a step back.

    “Nothi-” Kyoya cuts him off.

    “He can play guitar, he used to play American football, he is also good at photography, drawing, and singing.”

    “How the hell...?” Cain glances at Haruhi. She shrugs.

    “No clue, but it’s probably best not to ask.” She replies, and Cain nods, taking another step back because the twins are now behind Tamaki instead of against the doors.

    “You know, this has been fun and all, but this isn’t really my thing. So I think I’ll just…” Cain turns and sprints full speed to the doors. He’s able to pull them open and get down one staircase before he’s tackled from behind. The American twists with a cuss, but his punch is caught in a strong grip. He’s twisted again so that he’s laying on his stomach, and his arm is ripped behind him and held against his back. Cain swears as he arches his back and rolls a bit, getting whoever is on his back to fall off and onto the next staircase. Cain jumps over Mori and starts sliding down a railing, but the back of his shirt is grabbed. He’s ripped off the railing, and Mori throws the shorter boy over his shoulder. Cain struggles faintly as Mori carries him back up the stairs.

    “Stop.” God damn deep and intimidating voice. Of course, Cain stops and sighs in defeat. Mori carries him up the second flight of stairs. Cain furrows his brows when Mori doesn't put him down when they enter Music Room Three again.

    “That was impressive, Cain.” Kyoya says, causing Cain to scowl deeply. Smug bastard. He tries to turn, but Mori has an arm wrapped around his waist. Somehow, he’s managed to pin his arms there too.

    “I don’t even need to look to know you’re smirking, you bastard. Can I be put down now?” Cain asks. Mori does put him down, but there’s a hand on his shoulder and a fucking huge dude behind him when he is placed on the floor.

    “Go get him contacts, burn these and get him a much better pair.” Kyoya snatches the glasses off of Cain’s face, and Cain tenses when he suddenly can barely see a foot in front of his face. “You two will be planning his outfits, bad boy style. Or hipster. Take your pick. Also, get him an appropriate school uniform so he isn’t kicked out. Mori and Honey, get him a haircut. Quickly, customers will be arriving in... “ Kyoya glances at his watch. “Roughly forty-three minutes.”

    “Wait wait wait. How the hell am I supposed to afford all of this?” Cain asks, and Kyoya glances at him.

“By my estimations you’ll be making us enough money for us to pay for it all.” The second-year says, causing the blood to drain from Cain’s face.

“No don’t do that I can’t… I can’t pay that all-” Kyoya cuts Cain off.

    “It’ll be fine if you start today. Go. Now.”


	2. Getting Ready

    Honey follows Mori and Cain, smiling at Cain as Mori pushes him down and into a limo that probably costs more than the house Cain lived in in America. The haircut takes only ten minutes, and then they get Cain’s damn  _eyebrows_  done. What the hell? Cain narrows his eyes as the limo stops in front of a tattoo and piercing shop. “Tattooes take more than than seventeen minutes.” Cain says, and the others in the car glance at him.

    “Piercings.” Mori says monotonously. Cain scowls a bit, but he follows Mori and Honey out of the limo and into the shop. Mori places a wad of cash on the desk, and Cain is grabbed and placed in a seat. Of course he doesn’t have to wait in line. Who needs to do that when you’re being forced to join a club with a bunch of people with more money than they know what to do with. Cain barely has time to take a breath when there are people marking to places on his left eyebrow and then putting two dots on his right ear.

    Cain grits his teeth as the bars are placed through his eyebrow, and he hisses a bit as another bar is forced through the top of his ear. It hurts like a bitch, but as soon as the piercings are cleaned Mori is grabbing Cain’s arm. The third-year is given a pack of ice, and Mori pulls him out and into the limo. Apparently, he has appointments to get sleeves and something on his back. Fun. That, of course, means that Cain will have to plan the sleeves and what he’ll be putting on his back. Even more fun.

    “Hurry! Hurry!” Honey says, jumping in his sat in the limo. Cain grits his teeth at the freezing coldness as he holds a bag of ice to his eyebrow and one to his ear. Mori helps him position himself correctly, and Cain nods at him in thanks. Mori nods back and turns to the front as the limo speeds off. When Cain walks into Music Room Three, Hikaru and Kaoru grab him and drag him to a changing room.

    “What the he-” Cain is cut off as his shirt is literally ripped off. “Woah woah woah!” Of course, his oppositions are ignored. A navy blue shirt is forced onto Cain, and when he looks down he realizes that he may as well not be wearing one. Every inch of his skin seems to be visible because of how damn tight the shirt is. Cain shoves the twins out of the room when they start to pull down his pants, snatching the dark grey jeans from Kaoru’s hands before kicking him in the back and out of the stall.

    “Rude.” He hears Kaoru mumble jokingly, causing Cain to roll his eyes. Cain pulls on the new pants quickly as soon as he’s in his boxers, because he doesn’t trust that the twins won’t barge back into the room as Cain is changing. The third-year pulls on the leather jacket that’s tossed into the changing room, and he glances in the mirror at himself. Cain adjusts a few things before leaving the room. Kyoya turns to look at Cain and pauses in his writing, continuing a few seconds later right before Cain glances at him. Mori does the same, and he looks away about a millisecond before Cain looks at him.

    Kyoya walks over to Cain, something that looks like a pitch black, metallic cigarette in his hand. “It will not affect your health, and you will not become addicted to it. It’s simply water vapor, and it’ll come out of your mouth in smoke that is the same color as this, alright? This one is chocolate flavored. Let me know when it runs out. You’ll be getting different flavors and colors.” Kyoya hands Cain the ‘cigarette’. Cain glances down at it and then up at Kyoya with a ‘you’re trying to kill me’ expression plain on his face. Kyoya rolls his eyes and shoves up his glasses before turning and leaving.

    Cain jumps as girls suddenly open the doors and barge in, going up to Kyoya quickly. Cain looks around with slight panic, but Mori places a hand on his shoulder and brings him over to a couch that Honey already sitting on it. “Sit there, put these on.” Mori hands Cain a pair of black aviator sunglasses that somehow clash in a  _good_  way with his silver piercings.

    “Thanks.” Cain grunts, as the first girl is already close enough to hear him. Her eyes automatically snap up from her phone, and Cain raises a brow at her. Kyoya failed to mention that Cain is an amazing actor, too. Cain puts an earbud in one ear, sitting down on the couch and leaning against the arm he’s next to. The girl flushes a bright red, and Cain looks away a bit slowly and a bit dramatically, taking a drag of the ‘cigarette’. The girl giggles, turning to Honey and Mori afterwards.

    “Cake?” Honey asks, and the girl blushes a bit again as she finds all three of the third-years staring at her.

”Of course! Thank you, Honey-kun!” The girl says, and Cain can feel people watching him again as he takes another drag. Chocolate flavored smoke curls out of Cain’s mouth, twirling elegantly in front of him. It’s the same new moon color of the ‘cigarette’. The girl stares at Cain as she eats her cake, and she hesitates when she finishes said piece of cake. Cain smirks as he tilts his head to the side, looking at her.

    “Something you need,  _babe_?” Cain asks, saying pet name in English. The girl blushes a deep red, and Cain lets an actual smile tug up a corner of his mouth in another smirk. Cain does pride himself on his acting skills.

    “You’re new. Who are you?” The girl asks, and Cain shifts so he’s sitting forwards, one hand hanging down between his legs as he leans forwards and the other closer to his face with the ‘cigarette’ held between two fingers.

    “I’m Cain. You?” The third-year lets a charming smile appear. The girl actually swoons a bit. Cain didn’t think people actually do that.

    “You can call me Amaya, Senpai.” Amaya says with another rush of red creeping up her neck and to her face. About half an hour later, a girl comes over and taps Amaya on the shoulder, telling her it’s her turn.

    “ _See ya’ tomorrow, sweetie._ ” Cain says, tugging down his sunglasses just low enough so that Amaya can see his following wink. The girl actually squeals before rushing off to Kyoya, her face bright red. Cain sighs almost silently because what the fuck he isn’t even into girls what is he  _doing_. Mori glances at him, but Cain doesn’t see it. The shorter third-year plasters on a fake flirtatious smile as he leans back, letting black smoke rise from his lips gracefully. The girl turns a bit pink as she sits down.

 

***

 

    “The entire damned family seems to be made of naturals.” The twins chorus, scowling at each other afterwards as they look at Cain with raised brows. The last girl leaves, and Cain winks. He only lets a relieved look flash across his face when he’s sure the girl won’t turn around. Haruhi glances over at her cousin as Mori and Honey come over to the group, watching as Cain unties and then ties his black  high tops again.

    “Huh. Didn’t think he’d be able to do it.” Haruhi says, scowling at the twins with ridiculously colored hair as she sees them give each other looks.

    “Why’s that?” Kyoya asks, glancing at the first-year.

    “Oh, you didn’t catch on yet? Cain’s gay.” Haruhi says, and then she walks towards Cain as if she said nothing. “Did you bring your car or your motorcycle?”

    “Brought both to your house but the bike to school. Put this on. Let’s go.” Haruhi follows her cousin out of the room, and the rest of the Hosts stare at the door with slightly widened eyes even after they’re gone.

    “What?”


	3. Jungle Pool SOS (1/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to go with the episodes now, so the length of the chapters will depend on the lengths of the episodes. Dialogue will also be almost directly from the episodes (also holy shit with direct dialogue these got long fast)

    “What’s going on with the twins? Why is their hair pink and blue?” Cain asks, hiking his bookbag up higher on his shoulder. Haruhi glances at him, shrugging as she continues her brief conversation with her dad over the phone. After she hangs up she answers her cousin.

    “They’re upset because of something I said, I guess.” Haruhi says, shrugging again as Cain raises a brow.

    “What did you say?” Cain asks.

    “I’m not sure. It was something I said when explain how I can tell the two apart.” Haruhi explains and Cain just nods. These damned rich people are dramatic as hell. The twins and Tamaki especially so. “We’ll find out what’s going on soon, After yesterday’s fights, there’s only so much more they can argue about.”

 

***

 

    Cain enters the room and immediately has to duck so he isn’t hit with a flying object. He catches the tiki shield as it’s chucked in his direction, and he uses it until he gets to a safe spot. The other hosts glance at him, and he shifts uncomfortably with the attention, playing with the edge of his blazer. He joined the host club about a week and a half ago. And he isn’t any more comfortable with any of the other hosts. Well, he’s a  _bit_  more comfortable with Mori and Honey. Honey is making an effort, even going as far as to have Cain call him and Mori by the nicknames and with no honorifics. Cain really does appreciate the effort.

    “So you’re saying… If we stop fighting we can go to your house?” Cain had been somewhat aware of the situation going on, but at Hikaru and Kaoru’s words his head snaps up and a small amount of fear appears in his eyes. He wanders over to the doll on the floor and picks it up, scowling at the symbols on the back.

    “Blank.” He reads out loud, and Haruhi hits both of the twins roughly on the top of their heads.

    “ _Assholes_.” She cusses in English, causing Cain to smirk a bit before scowling again as he realizes the Host Club will be coming to his house at some point on some random day. Oh joy, time to find a cheap house in Mexico.

 

***

 

    Haruhi and Cain literally  _just_ walked past the gates of Ouran High. Of course, Cain hears the limo pull up behind them, directly in front of the gates. He turns to Haruhi with wide eyes, and he hears a door start opening. “Run.” Of course, Haruhi realizes right away that the Host Club is about to pull some shit, so she takes off with Cain. The twins grab her, an arm each, and yank her into the limo. Dress shoes slam against the pavement, two pairs in synch, as Mori races after Cain who’s managed to get quite a ways ahead. Students stop and stare as Cain rounds a corner, eyes wide as he breaths heavily and quickly.

    A few seconds later, Mori rounds the corner, much more graceful. Instead of looking terrified, he looks determined. If Cain looks back he might be the only one to notice the amused glint in the taller third-year’s eyes. Mori catches up to Cain as he starts to turn a corner, and students get out of the way quickly as Mori pins the shorter third-year to a wall. There’s some squealing as Cain blushes, and a side of Mori’s lips tugs up almost unnoticeably. “Got you.” Mori says, the undertone of his words showing his amusement. Cain is still blushing, and dammit this is ruining his bad boy reputation. And his blush is pretty obvious, so the amount of people who think Cain is straight is lessening by the second.

    “Can you, uh- Woah!” Cain shouts. Mori picks him up almost effortlessly and slings him over his shoulder. “Dammit Mori! Put me down!” Cain shouts, trying, failing, to twist in the much taller third-year’s hold.

“No.” There’s some more squeals from girls as Mori carries a somewhat struggling Cain through the school and out the entrance. Instead of putting Cain down outside the limo, Mori just shifts so that he’s holding him  _bridal style_  and then he gets into the limo. Kyoya raises a brow and the twins stare, but Mori doesn’t seem to care as he puts Cain down next to him.

    Cain crosses his arms and looks out the window. and he hears his cousin snickering off to the side. “Shut it.” He mumbles, causing Haruhi to laugh before also looking out the window. The limo pulls up at a huge glass dome, and Haruhi is grabbed by the twins again. Thankfully, Mori just grabs Cain by his shoulder and steers him into the dome. Cain pauses as he enters the dome, staring at the indoor water park resort  _thing_.

“I don’t have a swimsuit.” Haruhi states, motioning to the school uniform that she’s still wearing.

    “Yeah. Did you guys remember that normal people don’t just carry around swimsuits? I’m not gonna swim in this, either.” Cain says, motioning down to the school uniform that the Host Club got him

    “We got it covered. Put this on. Haruhi, we’ve got a bunch of swimsuits for you. Our mother _is_  well known for fashion.” Hikaru says, tossing Cain a pair of black swim trunks. Cain’s honestly surprised that the twins are letting him get away with such a simple piece of clothing. Cain heads to the changing room, and when he glances in the mirror his brows raise. The swimsuit doesn’t feel tight but his ass looks  _amazing_. Good job twins.

    “Woah.” Kaoru says, causing Cain to feel just a bit self conscious. He crosses his arms, shifting his weight onto his left foot.

    “What?” He asks, and Hikaru seems to catch on to his low self esteem in the five seconds it’s visible. Not that Cain notices the way the twin’s amber eyes narrow as he looks the third-year over.

    “I never really expected you to be so muscular. You look good.” Hikaru cuts in even though his brother would’ve said something similar.

    “Oh. Uh, thanks.” Cain mumbles, blushing a bit. The twins glance over at Mori, and snicker a bit as they see that his face has turned a bit pink. Mori rolls his eyes and turns so play with Honey in the pool. Cain wanders over to his cousin, and Haruhi glances up at him. She shrugs at his silent question of  _what the hell are we doing here?_

    “I’ve been with them for only six episodes, and so far they’ve already pulled a lot of insane shit. This probably should’ve been expected.” Haruhi says, and Cain laughs a bit before he crosses his arms, nodding.

    “They’re interesting characters. That’s for sure.” Cain replies and Haruhi smiles as she nods in agreement.

    “Haru-chan! Cain! Want some coconut juice to drink? Or maybe some mango cake?” Honey asks, running over to the two.

    “Um… Sure, the coconut juice.” Haruhi says, and then Honey turns to Cain.

    “Uhh… Either one is fine.” Cain replies. Honey beams at the two before he skips away with an  _okay!_ , leaving the two commoners more than a little confused.

     “Haruhi, let’s go down the waterslide!” Kaoru says, him and his twin sliding behind her and Cain silently.

    “What’s with the pullover?” Hikaru asks.

    “What? This…?” Haruhi questions, pulling at the yellow hoodie Tamaki had handed her earlier on. “Tamaki-senpai gave it to me.”

    “So, you’re not going swimming?” Hikaru questions.

    “By any chance, can you not swim?” Kaoru asks.

    “I think I can swim as well as the next guy,” Haruhi says, “but I’m not very interested in this place. I’d rather just go home than goof around swimming here.” Cain understands what Haruhi is saying. This place seems so fake and artificial with the glass dome around it. “What’s so great about this overblown facility, anyway? A vinyl pool should be all you need for playing in the water.”

    “What’s a vinyl pool?” The twins ask, and Haruhi turns away from the pools to look at them.

    “It’s a small pool that you blow up.” Cain explains. He holds his arms out wide, showing the length of one of the pools. “They’re about this big, and they’re about this deep. They’re like air boats except they’re usually circles and have cliché designs on them like fish and other aquatic lifeforms.”

    “There’s no way something that small could be considered a pool.” Hikaru says, and Kaoru nods.

    “It  _is_  a pool. Little kids play in them a lot, you know?” Haruhi says. Tamaki swoops in and grabs the twins, not yanking them far enough away to be out of the cousin’s hearing ranges.

    “You idiots! If Haruhi thinks it’s a pool then it’s a pool. Don’t go embarrassing her! She only has pitiful commoner’s knowledge.” Tamaki ‘whispers’. Haruhi and Cain stare blankly at the three.

    “You know, I was gonna be offended about not being taken into consideration, but now I’m offended for  _you_.” Cain whispers to Haruhi, crossing his arms as he stares at the other three hosts.

    “Huh? But a boat is a boat.” The twins chorus, and Haruhi rolls her eyes. Haruhi turns to Cain, looking absolutely done with the three.

    “For some reason, I’m feeling incredibly unpleasant.” She mutters, and Cain snorts as he shakes his head.

    “Never mind that, there’s something that’s bothering me.” Hikaru mumbles, standing up with the other two and leaning towards Tamaki.

    “Sir, why did you make Haruhi wear that pullover?” Kaoru says, “Ordinarily, you’d think you’d throw a fit over wanting to see Haruhi in a swimsuit.”

    “This is unexpected.” Hikaru continues mischieviously, narrowing his eyes a bit.

    “I can’t imagine it’s this, but do you think it might be because he doesn’t want any punks beside himself to see Haruhi’s skin, or something like that?” The twins murmur to each other, amber eyes focusing on Tamaki. “Oh, is that what this is? That would be quite underhanded of him, huh? It’d be disgusting, all right.”

    “You-you idiots! As her father, it’s only natural, being her guardian, that I would do so! After all, even wearing a swimsuit, it’s not right for a girl to expose her skin openly in front of boys.” The twins point at Haruhi, who’s standing right behind the three even still, which cuts Tamaki off mid-rant. Even Cain is staring at the Host King with a blank, yet somehow annoyed, expression.

    “Haru- _chan_!” Honey calls, cutting through the awkwardness pretty effectively. “Let’s go play! They have a current pool over there.” Honey says, holding onto Haruhi’s arm.

    “No, I’m not swimming today.” Haruhi starts, and then her brows furrow as if she’s confused. “Honey-senpai, do you not know how to swim?” Honey shakes his head and wiggles his hips, showing off the pink tube around his waist.

    “Just looks cuter this way.” Honey explains, doing a little twirl.

    “Oh, I get it.” Cain says.

    “Because of the bunny design.” Haruhi finishes for him, and both of them nod.

    “Sweet and innocent.” The twins say behind the two.

    “Tepid! Quite tepid!” A high pitched voice shouts, and Cain’s hand lands on Haruhi’s shoulder protectively.

    “Who the hell is that?” He asks as there sound of powerful motors being used fills the air. Haruhi narrows her eyes and looks around.

    “Renge-chan?” She questions, still looking around. A hut built for shade splits perfectly in two in front of the five hosts, and a tall girl in a black bikini with a purple umbrella and blue designs on her appears, whatever the hell she’s standing on spinning until it’s at its full height. “Is that rig set up everywhere?” Haruhi asks, hunching a bit forwards as she looks a little disappointed.

    “That’s an amazing get-up.” Hikaru mutters.

    “What’s that pattern on your belly?” Kaoru asks.

    “Oh, don’t you know? I-”

    “She’s probably cosplaying.” Cain says before she can finish what she’s saying. Everybody glances at him and he shrugs. “I remember seeing the symbols on a girl in some manga magazine my other cousin, Tiana, used to read.”

    “Who are you cosplaying?” The twins ask, even though the girl’s attention is still mostly on Cain.

    “La-La, the manga magazine.” She says, and Cain swears that stars start floating around her. “A dream, risen from the abyss; those blue eyes, lighting up young men’s faces; that tone of voice… See? I’m Kisaragi!”

    “Who?” Tamaki asks, and Cain answers again.

    “Kisaragi Quon. One of the more popular women in the La-La magazine.” Cain leans back so only the other hosts can hear his whispering. “She looks nothing like her.”

    “We can’t tell.” Haruhi deadpans.

    “We can’t tell that at all.” Another host says. That doesn’t seem to stop the girl from posing in front of a pair of annoyed and confused cousins.

    “Hey, sir, are you sure it’s okay for a girl to be dressed up like  _that_?” The twins ask, motioning to the revealing bikini.

    “That might be okay.” Tamaki says, and Cain raises a brow. He glances at Haruhi and watches, a little bit amused, as she rolls her eyes.

    “Why?” The twins chorus.

    “Maybe because it’s cosplay?” Tamaki sounds confused, and this time Cain does roll his eyes. Quite obviously, too.

    “In any case,” Renge-chan continues, “your understanding of Haninozuka-senpai is lukewarm!’ She points to Honey as he jumps into the water with a large splash.

    “Takashi!” He shouts, smiling with pink cheeks. “Whee!” He giggles, his arms in the air as he beams at Mori. The nearly silent host smiles a bit.

    “What do you mean?” Tamaki asks, crossing his arms as he raises a brow.

    “It’s just like he got done saying.” Renge-chan says, “It’s cuter that way. I don’t see that as being sweet and innocent.” Cain can see that Kyoya is now listening to the conversation as he pushes up his glasses.

    “Indeed, it isn’t.” He says, joining the conversation. “Place a subject at the end of the sentence, and you’ll see.”

    “He planned that?” Cain doesn’t really get why the others look so surprised. Sure, Honey seems sweet and innocent but so did a lot of people back in New York. Cain knows better than to assume things like that.

    “That’s Haninozuka-senpai for you. Apparently, he felt threatened in his position as the little boy type from last episode,” Cain leans over to Haruhi.

    “What happened? I ended up going home sick.

    “Some bratty kid came over and we helped him with his crush.” Haruhi explains. Cain nods in understanding before he stands up straight again.

    “So he seems to be taking steps to fortify himself.” Renge-chan says, apparently not hearing the cousin’s small side conversation. “I’ve got to give him more credit. He’s quite deep.” And then she disappears into the floor again. Cain stares at the spot for a few seconds, seeming to be the only one, besides Kyoya, who isn’t shocked at the news. 


	4. Jungle Pool SOS (2/2)

    “Look over here everyone!” The group’s attention is immediately pulled to Honey and Mori. The smaller host is on Mori’s back, and the much larger third-year is swimming against the current of the pool almost easily. Cain’s eyes widen before his face becomes a bit red and he crosses his arms, staring at Honey instead of a surprisingly muscular yet lean third-year. “Look! See? Even as hard as we’re swimming, we never move forward from the same place!” Honey exclaims, waving at the other hosts.

    “So, what’s the deal?” Tamaki whispers, looking confused.

    “Is that guy really that deep?” Haruhi adds on, staring at Honey as he beams at the group. Mori keeps his attention on the front of the pool. Cain hears the pumping of a water gun, and he silently steps forward as Tamaki’s attention remains on Honey and Mori. Seconds later, a large amount of water hits Tamaki directly in the face as he turns to face the twins.

    “Bulls-eye!” Hikaru smiles, and Haruhi turns at Cain’s laughing. Of course, Cain’s attention is on the soaked Host King.

    “Sir, let’s play! Water gun battle! If you get it in the face, you lose, and there’s a penalty game.” Kaoru continues, his smile matching his brother’s almost exactly.

    “We might wanna move…” Cain trails off, glancing between the twins and Tamaki.

    “Me and Kaoru on a team against you and Cain, sir.” Hikaru says, and Cain glances at his cousin.

    “Why am I being dragged into this?” He mutters under his breath, and Haruhi smirks at him, shrugging.

    “Better you than me.” She replies.

    “ _Asshole_.” Cain bites back in English, causing Haruhi to smile up at him innocently. “I don’t have a water gun, guys.” Cain says to the twins.

    “They’re in the shack over there.” Kaoru says, and Cain quickly goes and grabs a water gun. When he returns, the twins have Haruhi pinned between them. She doesn’t seem to care that much, though. She just looks done with the two. Like usual.

    “Haruhi, let’s get married right now. We’ll have our honeymoon in Atami!’ The twins chorus, obviously teasing Tamaki. The Host King turns and starts pumping his water gun quickly, and Cain watches in amusement, pumping his casually because he wants to see what Tamaki is going to do. The host isn’t really sure if Tamaki even knows how he feels for Haruhi or not. It’s quite amusing to watch his reactions to things like this.

    “You think anyone is about to let dear Haruhi marry  _you_ guys?” Tamaki questions, still pumping his water gun. “Daddy will not allow it!” The blonde shouts, spinning around and aiming his water gun at the twins. Cain grabs his cousin and heads towards one of the tables before she’s hit with water like the twins. He rests his water gun against the side of his chair, and he quickly grabs lemonade for both him and his cousin. Haruhi thanks him before he sits down, kicking his feet up onto the table.

Cain glances up as someone approaches a few minutes later, a hand going to his water gun. His hand freezes mid grab as he stares at Mori, blushing a bit before he turns back to his drink as the other host stands in front of him and Haruhi. What gives him the right to look like a damn model? Cain glances at the current pool and sees Honey casually swimming against the current, barely putting any effort into it. “Taking a break?” Haruhi asks as Mori stretches, causing Cain to nearly choke on his drink.

    “Want something to drink?” Cain mumbles around his straw, glancing up at Mori but quickly shifting his attention to his cousin as he sees the taller third-year staring at him with slate colored eyes.

    “Yeah.” Mori says, and the dark haired third-year reaches for Cain’s glass. Not that Cain minds, as he willingly hands it over. He glances over at the twins and Tamaki, who’re still having a water gun battle. The twins peak out from behind the trees to shoot at Tamaki, but none of the shots hit.

    “Take this!” Tamaki shouts, and Cain takes his lemonade back when Mori hands it to him. Tamaki leaps to the side, his body parallel with the ground. “Surefire sideways-leaping beam!” The blonde fires his water gun. The twins casually grab the tiki faces nearby and use them as shields, sarcastically striking poses as not even a drop of water touches them. Tamaki places a hand on the ground and twists, landing on his feet, one of which happens to land on a banana peel. “That’s against the rules!” Tamaki shouts, causing Cain to laugh a bit.

    The Host King slides for a little while comically before he trips and bounces on the ground, rolling into a totem pole. His face hits the second head, and Cain and Haruhi watch with a small amount of worry as the totem pole’s eyes light up red. There’s a string of faint beeping noises, and Cain jumps to his feet when he hears Honey let out a panicked noise. He turns to run at the smaller Host as a tidal wave comes crashing down on him. “Honey!” Cain shouts as he sees the inflatable pink tube that Honey was using fly into the air.

    “Honey-senpai!” Haruhi shouts, also running behind Cain.

    “Mitsukuni!” Mori shouts, easily catching up to and running past Cain. Mori slips on a banana peel and falls, skidding across the cement. Cain winces, because  _Damn, that’s gotta hurt_. Haruhi and Cain slow down.

    “Mori-senpai…” Haruhi trails off, staring at Mori as he slowly gets up. Cain walks over and grabs Mori’s shoulder, helping him to his feet. Tamaki appears behind the two as Mori grabs onto Cain’s shoulder to help himself climb back onto his feet.

    “Guys, we’re going after Honey-senpai!” Tamaki exclaims, hand flying up in the air like he’s posing for a superhero movie cover. Cain rolls his eyes because him, Mori, and Haruhi would’ve gone after Honey anyways, no need to announce the fact. “This pool is the shortest way! Charge!” Tamaki motions to a fast moving pool and narrows his eyes as the others take off. Doesn’t that pool have-

    “There are alligators swimming there!” The group shouts, running back to where Cain is standing.

    “Okay, that pool is out.” Tamaki states, pointing to a path soon after. “Let’s take this route!”

    “They’re here too!” The twins shout, backing up quickly.

    “And here, too!” Haruhi shouts, running back to Cain and Mori as an alligator snaps at her heels. Cain narrows his eyes and turns to Kyoya, who’s writing in a brown notebook. Doesn’t he usually have a black one? Kyoya glances up like he felt Cain looking at him.

    “Why are there  _alligators_  here?” Cain questions, motioning to said animals as one snaps its’ jaws at a different one.

    “Those pools are the tropical animal area.” Kyoya states, “I guess it  _is_  dangerous to let the alligators run loose. Although, it’s the current pool’s switch location that’s the problem here. I’ll have to speak to the designers. I have to thank you. I’ve gotten some good data here.”

    “For what?” The group snaps, and Mori puts a hand firmly on Cain’s shoulder so he doesn’t charge at Kyoya. A few minutes later, the Host Club stands in front of a huge map.

    “This is the Tropical Aqua Garden’s area map.” Kyoya explains, “This is our present point. To get to this spot, where I predict Honey-senpai got carried away to, we will need to go through the jungle area in the southern block. That’s a range of about 800 meters.”

    “There seems to be a lot of indeterminate areas in this jungle along our way.” Haruhi states, staring at the large amount of question mark spaces on the map.

    “Those are zones that are still under development.” Kyoya states.

    “There could be things there even more dangerous than alligators.” The twins murmur, staring at each other with slight worry.

    “Great, if I don’t get my foot taken off by a gator I’ll probably step on a nail.” Cain mutters, glaring at the map.

    “All right, this is a survival mission!” Tamaki says, standing in the middle of the half cirlce the hosts form. “We have to safely penetrate this jungle area, and rescue Honey-senpai!”

 

***

 

    The group stands under a hut with a grass roof, staring out into the rain. Most of the hosts are in the middle, but Mori is at the front with his arms hanging over the railing. Cain is leaning on the railing near him. “Mori-senpai is awfully close to Honey-senpai, isn’t he?” Haruhi asks, glancing at Mori with worry. Her eyes trail back to her cousin, who’s watching Mori closely. Genuine worry is on his face, and Haruhi briefly wonders what kind of connection her cousin has made to the two other third-years. “Are they childhood friends, or something?” She asks.

    “Those two...”

    “Are cousins.” The twins inform Haruhi, and Cain raises a brow at the information, still focused on Mori. He’s worried. Not only about Honey but about Mori too. He’s never seen the other third-year so clumsy. And blank. Honey taught him a few days ago about how to pick up on Mori’s emotions, and Cain seems to have a natural talent for doing so. But right now, not even he can tell what Mori is feeling. And it’s making him nervous.

    “Huh? They’re relatives?” Haruhi asks, glancing at her cousin again. For some reason, he’s becoming as blank looking as Mori.

    “The Morinozukas have been serving the Haninozuka family for generations.” Kyoya says.

    “Although, two generations ago, they became relatives by marriage, and the families’ master-servant relationship has long since faded away.” Hikaru informs both Haruhi and Cain, He knows that the cousin is listening to the conversation, but he doesn’t really mind. By the way Cain is standing, it’s obvious he’s terribly worried not only about Honey, but Mori too.

    “Even so, Mori-senpai has always accompanied Honey-senpai.” Kaoru adds on, eyes flickering between Mori and Cain.

    “It must get his blood going.” Tamaki joins the conversation. “The blood of the vassals of yore, which flows through Mori-senpai.”

    “What a great story! I’m touched!” The twins sob, even though they were the two telling the story the most.

    “That’s what you call a great story?” Haruhi mumbles, staring at Hikaru and Kaoru with disapproval. She glances at Mori as she hears her cousin moving, and he leans against the railing like Mori is. He’s looking straightforward, but Haruhi can see that he’s talking to Mori.

    “It’ll be alright, Mori.” Cain says, looking into the jungle. “Honey can take care of himself until we get there. He’s safe.” The third-year glances at Mori as he hears him shift, and Cain looks at the floor when he sees Mori staring at him.

    “How is he going to react to that?” The twins question, and Haruhi looks over at both them and Tamaki, glaring a bit, Can’t they let them have a private moment? Mori rests a hand on Cain’s shoulder and squeezes, the hold obviously meaning something much different than when he was just leading Cain places. There’s a ringing sound and Kyoya pulls out his phone, answering before the device is even fully opened.

    “Yeah, it’s me. Kyoya murmurs, turning away from the twins as they tease Tamaki about something unimportant. “We’ve got a somewhat troubling situation.”

 

***

 

    Cain walks behind Mori, following him into the bushes even as he goes the opposite way that Kyoya said Honey is. “Mori-senpai!” Haruhi calls out, rushing after the two. “That’s not the way. Honey-senpai is in the other direction.”

    “No, he’s this way.” Mori says, continuing to move forwards. Cain shrugs at his cousin before following Mori. He trusts him more than the other hosts by a long shot, and he’s probably the best hope the Host Club has of finding Honey.

    “Just a minute!” Haruhi calls after them. “It’s dangerous to go alone!” Cain raises a brow, turning slightly.

    “What am I? A figment of his imagination?” Cain questions, and Haruhi rolls her eyes as she chases after the two.

    “I’m coming with you!” Of course, Haruhi nearly gets bitten by a snake, bitten by beetles, and then she almost falls into a shallow stream.

    “Haruhi.” Cain can hear the slight annoyance in Mori’s voice. He approaches his cousin and picks her up, and Cain rolls his eyes before following the two. At least they’ll be moving faster now. His cousin can barely survive New York, Cain doesn’t understand why she thinks she can survive a jungle.

    “Do they even know that we’re gone?” Cain asks Haruhi and Mori, and both shrug. Haruhi turns a bit to look at her cousin.

    “Probably not. The twins and Tamaki were arguing about something and Kyoya was on the phone.” Haruhi states, and Cain rolls his eyes.

    “They’ll notice we’re gone soon. Tamaki will notice  _you’re_  gone in a few seconds.” Cain states, and Haruhi blushes a bit before she turns back around. Cain raises a brow. Does Haruhi return the feelings she doesn't know Tamaki doesn’t know he has for her? Cain hears people coming before he actually sees them, and he knows right away it isn’t the Host Club. The sound of heavy boots hitting the ground echo around the three, and seconds later not only do heavily geared soldiers appear from the forest, they also drop down from the sky.

    “Target confirmed.” One murmurs, still not moving his gun from it’s aimed position. The soldier nods at another one before he speaks again, probably into a bluetooth. “The target has been captured by a suspicious man. There’s another man the same age as the kidnapper with them. Now taking subject into custody.” Haruhi is hyperventilating, and Mori tenses us. Cain gets into a defensive position, one leg sliding back and his fists raising.

    “You there! Let the boy go, or we will resort to using force!” Another soldier shouts, raising his gun and aiming between Mori and Cain.

    “Oh, hold on!” Haruhi shouts, and her arm is grabbed by a soldier.

    “ _Get offa my cousin you cunt!_ ” Cain shouts in English, some of his accent coming out. Mori narrows his eyes and a fist is suddenly flying. The soldier is hit so hard he flips upside down as he flies backwards, and the soldier that approaches Cain gets kicked so hard in the gut by the American that he crumples to the floor in seconds.

    “The men are resisting! Ready to fire warning shots!” A soldier shouts, and he falls back a few feet as a fist connects solidly with his face. Cain doesn’t bother shaking his hand out, but he scowls at the small cut the visor put on his hand.

    “Takashi, Cain! Move!” Honey suddenly calls out from seemingly nowhere. Cain narrows his eyes and looks up as he does so, and Mori glances behind him as he does the same. Honey flies in, mimicking Tarzan as he lets go of his vine and drop kicks a soldier directly in the face. Cain laughs a little, but he bites his lip soon after. He  _really_  doesn’t want to get shot.

    “What do you think you’re doing, pipsqueak?” On soldier shouts, turning and aiming at Honey. Another does the same.

    “No matter, get this one too!” Cain watches in slight amazement as Honey hands every remaining soldier their ass on a silver platter. Cain can see Haruhi twitch a bit as her brain fails to accept what just happened.

    “Don’t go being so reckless. Picking on my friends is a big no-no.” Honey says, giggling a bit. The soldiers twitch on the ground, and then the rest of the Host Club rolls in. Of course, Tamaki doesn’t really care about anyone but Haruhi, so Cain just crosses his arms and stands awkwardly as some of the Hosts talk to Haruhi, the twins poke the soldiers, and Mori and Honey have a moment.

    “You didn’t get lonesome without me around, right?” Honey asks Mori, and Cain can feel the taller third-year glance at Haruhi and then stare at him.

    “I wouldn’t say that.”

 

***

 

    “We should go to the beach next, to clear the mood.” Kaoru says, both him and Hikaru stretching as they walk in front of the rest of the Host Club.

    “The beach would be nice.” Hikaru agrees.

    “You idiots, Haruhi wouldn’t be interested in that.” Tamaki snaps, and Cain rolls his eyes.

    “I might not mind going to the beach.” Haruhi informs the others, and Cain nods in agreement. The beach sounds nice. “This obviously artificial location may not be any fun, but the beach would be nice. It’s pretty there.”

    “All right, you got it!” Tamaki says, “Next, we go to the beach!”

    “He said we’re going to the beach next!” Honey smiles at Cain, then rests his head on Mori’s. “That will be fun, huh?”

    “Yeah.” Mori agrees.


	5. The Sun, The Sea, and the Host Club! (1/2)

    “Let’s go to the beach.” The twins say out of nowhere, sitting up from their reclined positions on the couch.

    “The beach?” Haruhi asks, and the twins are suddenly across the room and in her face. Cain raises a brow as he looks at the three from over the lid of his coffee. It’s a bit too bitter for his taste, but he doesn’t see any sugar or milk nearby.

    “Yes, the beach!” The twins exclaim, and Cain rolls his eyes as he turns back to the newspaper in his lap.

    “The beach…”

    “You said so before, didn’t you?” Hikaru asks.

    “You wouldn’t mind going to a real beach.” Kaoru finishes, and Haruhi shifts back a bit. The twins  _are_  pretty close to her.

    “Did I say that?” She questions, looking at Cain. The twins stare at her with bored eyes and blank expressions as Cain nods.

    “Yes, you did. And so…” Maids rush in silently and put rows of swimsuits out behind the twins. “We’ve prepared some swimsuits for you.”

    “Isn’t it cute?” Kaoru asks, motioning to the pink one with ruffles. Honey’s attention is pulled to the suits at the word ‘cute’.

    “I think…” Honey starts, looking at a one-piece with a regular blue top with a white detail on the top, a darker blue bow, and a ruffled white bottom, “that this would look good on Haru-chan.”

    “You don’t get it, huh, Honey-senpai?” The twins ask in unison, and Cain watches in slight amusement as the other hosts look at different swimsuits. “Just wearing this uniform helps to gloss over the fact that she’s as flat as a cutting board.” Hikaru states, and each of the twins grab one of Haruhi’s arms and lift her to her feet.

    “A one-piece type suit like that would only invite tears, by making it obvious how utterly poor her figure is.” Kaoru explains, and Honey holds onto the swimsuit he picked protectively. Honey turns to Cain, and an expression of ‘please don’t drag me into this’ flashes across his face. Apparently, Honey doesn’t care.

    “What do you think Haru-chan should wear?” Honey asks Cain, and the third-year shrugs as he looks at them.

    “Whichever Haruhi wants to wear.” He responds, and both the twins and Honey huff in annoyance. The twins continue as if he input means nothing.

    “On this point, we carefully selected this separate-type suit. The frills do a fine job of covering the absence of any bust!” Tamaki had entered the room while the twins had been talking, and he hits them with a baseball bat.

    “How dare you guys heap sexual harassment on my little girl!” He exclaims, and Cain rolls his eyes. Haruhi does the same. “That’s enough of that!” Haruhi stares at Tamaki with a slightly freaked expression, and the twins raise a brow at the King Host as they hide behind the table Haruhi is sitting at.

    “It wasn’t sexual harassment, Haruhi would voice it like that if it was. It’s just swimsuits.” Cain says, but, of course, Tamaki ignores the opinion that doesn’t match his.

    “Then, we aren’t going to the beach?” The twins ask, and Haruhi stares at her cousin with wide eyes.

     _Save me_. Her eyes say, and Cain raises a brow.

     _How_? He asks silently. Haruhi shrugs, looking between the twins, Cain, and Tamaki. Tamaki rests a baseball bat on his shoulder.

    “Whoever said we weren’t going?” Tamaki questions. The twins slowly start to stand up, using the flower vase and the table as a barrier between them and the Host King.

    “Oh, then you  _do_  want to go!”

    “Can Usa-chan come, too?” Honey questions, and Cain glances at Kyoya as he writes in his black notebook again.

    “I have no objections.” Kyoya states. Mori makes a sound of agreement as he stares at a swimsuit with a shell top, tilting his head from side to side.

    “I’m down.” Cain comments, even though the other hosts probably don’t really care about his opinion.

    “Huh? We’re really going?” Haruhi asks, and Tamaki glances at her.

    “Come on, let’s go to the beach!” Tamaki shouts.

 

***

 

    “So, why Okinawa?” The twins ask.

    “Kyoya’s folks have a private beach here.” Tamaki says.

    “It’s a beautiful place, huh?” Honey asks, and Cain nods.

    “Yeah.” Mori agrees.

    “But as long as we’re going somewhere, why not…” The twins start.

    “The Caribbean…” Kaoru offers.

    “Or Fiji?” Hikaru finishes.

    “Do you think Haruhi or Cain have passports?” Kyoya questions, and Cain scowls as he rolls his eyes.

    “Considering I came here from America, you’d think you’d realize I do, in fact, have a passport.” Cain says. Kyoya doesn’t respond.

    “Ah.” The twins say.

    “Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness for my cousin and I.” Haruhi says, sarcasm coloring her tone heavily. The H0st Club makes it to the beach, and Cain scowls as he sees the rows and rows of girls there. Tamaki heads out to a rock, and a girl joins him. Cain joins Haruhi in the shade, helping her put on sunblock before he puts his own dark grey blanket down next to her light blue one. Kaoru and Hikaru are playing volleyball with some of their appointments, and Cain rolls his eyes as they start putting on their act as they run after the beachball.

    The two hosts watch a hermit crab walk past their feet. Haruhi’s in a pair of tan shorts and a blue shirt, and Cain is in his black swimming shorts from the resort place and a white tank top. Cain glances at the line for Tamaki. “Your two-shot time is up. Next, please.” Kyoya says, standing at the front of the line.

    “Why are we conducting Host Club activities here at the beach?” Haruhi asks, and Cain sighs, shrugging. So far, it’s only him and Haruhi sitting under the large rainbow umbrella. Luckily, his dark aviator glasses don’t allow anybody to see how intently he’s watching Mori as Honey and him do some yoga/dance thing with their appointments.

    “I really wish you’d been able to swim, Haruhi. Sorry the hosts brought the club with us.” Cain says, and Haruhi shrugs.

    “We can go to a different beach later this week.” Haruhi says, and Cain nods.

    “I wonder when they’re gonna make me give them their swimsuit back. This wasn’t in my contract.” Cain says, pulling at the black swimtrunks he has on. Haruhi just shrugs. The girls come up behind the two, and Haruhi turns all the way while Cain just turns his head just far enough to see the girls.

    “Haruhi-kun… Senpai…” One of them says, and Cain raises a brow at how intently the three are focused on his arms and the back muscles the tank top is showing. You’d think they’d be a bit less obvious.

    “Aren’t you going to go swimming?” The girl in the white bikini with a bow on it asks, attention shifting evenly between the two hosts.

    “Oh, I like looking at the sea more.” Haruhi says, and Cain just nods to the lie. He just wants to keep Haruhi company and secretly stare at Mori’s back muscles if he’s honest. Sure, the water is probably the perfect temperature, but he doesn’t want to leave Haruhi alone.

    “Well, would it be okay if we joined you?” The girl with the blue suit with a skirt bottom asks, and Cain scowls a bit as he turns to face the ocean again.

    “How come?” Cain rumbles, looking out at the ocean.

    “Go ahead and swim.” Haruhi says, “You’re wearing such cute swimsuits, and all.”

    “We would prefer you girls be able to cool down with the rest. Wouldn’t want you hurt from the heat, is all.” Cain adds on, and he can hear the three girls sigh before they walk away. Hikaru and Kaoru are nearby, and Hikaru picks up the ball.

    “We were completely fooled, huh?” Kaoru questions, and Cain raises a brow as he lays on his back, hands behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankle.

    “We really didn’t figure on that.”

    “I invited you club members along for free,” Kyoya states, “so prefer to perform your services.” Cain smiles a bit, turning his head to the side with a surprised ‘hey!’ as Haruhi sprays him with sunblock.

    “Take off your shirt so I can get your chest and back. You’re going to get burned.” Haruhi orders, and Cain rolls his eyes as he does so, sitting up.

    “Alright, mom.” Cain mumbles, just loud enough for Haruhi to hear. The other host hits him with the sunblock bottle, but Cain just smiles cheekily.

    “But with guests here Haruhi won’t be able to wear her swimsuit.” The twins say. Tamaki is laying on a reclined beach chair.

    “Everything has been taken into account. Did you think that I would let my dear little girl in her swimsuit be exposed to  _your_  eyes?” Tamaki questions, and both Haruhi and Cain scowl quite obviously.

    “Tamaki is a real pain in the ass.” Haruhi mumbles, and Cain nods as he glares at the Host King.

    “ _Who the hell does he think he is, tellin’ you what you can and can’t wear. He ain’t related, he ain’t your boyfriend, he don’t get to have an opinion, and he has no right to tell you what you can and can’t wear._ ” Cain growls, his accent a bit heavy as he switches back into English. Haruhi rolls her eyes and shrugs, but Cain saw her blush a bit at the boyfriend part. Whatever, it doesn’t matter if he has a crush on her or the other way around, he doesn’t get to choose what Haruhi can and can’t wear. Cain climbs to his feet angrily and stalks away from the purple eyed host.

“Haru-chan! Cain!” Honey calls, and Cain calms down quite noticeably.

“ _Hey._ ” Cain greets, still in English.

“Let’s go hellfish shunting!” Cain raises a brow, and Haruhi stares off to the side blankly. Cain manages not to crack up at the expression.

    “I think you mean “shellfish hunting”.” Haruhi corrects, “And I’ve never heard of anyone going shellfish hunting anywhere like this…” Haruhi stops and stares at Honey’s filled bucket. Where did he find that stuff? Cain looks down and jumps away from a crab that was about to fuck up his foot.

    “What the hell?” He questions, glancing up at Haruhi when she shouts at the same time.

    “What the hell is this?!” The other host questions, arms shaking above her head dramatically. Cain rolls his eyes, watching Mori as he peeks around the rock.

    “Mori-Senpai…” Cain hears Kyoya start, and he rolls his eyes again. Who else could’ve gotten a beach covered in crustaceans. “My folks’ private police force wanted to make up for their offense toward Honey-senpai earlier, so I’m letting them do this.” Cain is fairly certain he’s only letting the small army fill the beach with sea life because it’ll make more girl squeal over Honey being happy.

    “Amazing! What a haul!” Honey shouts, causing Cain to glance over at him and Haruhi. He raises a brow at the four tubs and four buckets already filled with things. It’s obvious the containers are Honey’s, because Usa-Chan is the design on every one of them.

    “We’re going to have a fancy side dish tonight, huh?” Haruhi says, and her beaming expression causes Cain’s to soften a bit. “It’s going to be  _delicious_!”

    “Well, you two look like you’re enjoying yourselves, so I guess it’s all right.” Tamaki says, appearing out of no where after a conversation with Kyoya. Cain rolls his eyes, and Mori comes up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

    “Senpai!” Haruhi shouts, waving one of her hands to grab the blonde’s attention. “We caught a big haul for tonight’s supper!”

    “You did, you did, my little girl?” Tamaki questions, hands going to his cheeks as a light blush colors them. Cain rolls his eyes, leaning back a bit so only Mori will be able to hear him.

    “That guy’s got a daddy kink like no other.” Cain whispers, and Mori chuckles almost silently, nodding at the joke.

    “Tonight supper is gonna be a real treat!” Haruhi shouts, and Cain rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms, standing up straighter. He watches from the corner of his eye as Mori does the same, a hand still resting on the shorter third-year’s shoulder.

    “What do you think, Haruhi? Do you find this large crab to be… Crab-tivating?” Tamaki questions, causing Cain to groan loudly at the awful pun. He raises a brow as Kyoya turns around and writes something in his little black notebook. Haruhi ignores her cousin, turning to Tamaki with a smile and a small blush.

    “Yes.” She says shortly, and Tamaki looks starstruck. Cain rolls his eyes again, and Mori is shaking his head slightly. A bug crawls over the crab, and Cain watches with a raised brow as the girls all turn in a mute horror.

    “Centipede!” The crowd shrieks, and Cain laughs quietly as the twins also run away. He walks over and grabs the bug, glancing at Haruhi. She nods, and Cain tosses it in the air, watching it sail away after Haruhi kicks it.

    “Hey, Haruhi.” The twins greet, sliding between Cain and his cousin to rest their elbows on Haruhi’s shoulders.

    “As much as I hate to think that you’re a bug-loving, kindhearted girl…” Hikaru starts, causing Cain to roll his eyes and start walking towards Mori and Honey.

    “Couldn’t you have at least set that thing free more gently?” Kaoru finishes, causing Haruhi to glance back at Cain for an escape route. The third-year shrugs carelessly before walking over to the other third-years.

    “Hey guys. See the mob headed for Haruhi?” Cain asks, motioning to his cousin. Mori glances over his shoulder at said mob.

    “Yeah.”

    “How long do you think it’ll be before she gets trampled?” A corner of Mori’s lips turns up almost unnoticeably as he looks at Haruhi again.

    “She won’t be.” Mori says, and he watches as Haruhi barely manages to escape the crowd of fangirls.

    “Damn, would’ve been funny. She wouldn’t actually get hurt, just given unwanted attention. She never does good with attention, she becomes a floundering mess.” Cain says, smiling a bit.

    “We’ve seen her the color of a tomato.” Honey states, causing Cain to nod.

    “Like I said. Never reacts well to attention.” After a few minutes of small talk, the twins wander over to the three third-years.

    “We’re playing a game called “Guess Haruhi’s Weakness”. You want to play?” The twins question, obviously not talking to Cain because he probably already knows it. And the third-year does know it. Only because it’s his fear too.

    “We’re playing!” Honey shouts, causing Cain to sigh through his nose and wander away, tugging off his shirt and wading into the ocean.

 

***

 

    “Cain! The girls!” Haruhi shouts to her cousin, causing the third-year to jump to his feet within seconds. She’s already racing toward the large hill, and Cain cusses, tugging on his shirt and shoes before racing after Haruhi. Cain sees her throw the contents of a bucket at a man, and he sees her mouth moving but can’t hear what she’s saying. Haruhi is grabbed the the front of her shirt, and Cain lets out a growl as he speeds up, not slowing down or losing his balance when he’s suddenly running uphill.

    “What’s up with these spindly arms?” A man questions, the other forcing to girls close to him.

    “Haru-kun!” One girl shouts, and the man holding her and the other tightens his hold dangerously.

    “Don’t go trying to act tough when you’re such a sissy boy!” The man shouts, his eyes almost shadowed because of his hood.

    “Kid, you should just go swimming…” The attacker holding Haruhi shouts, and Tamaki is on Cain’s heels. “Like a good boy?”

    “Haruhi!” Tamaki and Cain scream, and Tamaki dives after Cain’s cousin without a thought.

    “ _Ya piece ah’ shit!_ ” Cain shouts, switching to English as he grabs the man who threw Haruhi into the ocean by the front of his shirt, forcing him to back up to the ledge. His accent is back and is heavier than it’s been since he was in New York. “ _I oughta throw you in afta her! Give ya a taste of ya own medicine!_ ” Cain backs him up more, and one of the man’s feet slips over the edge. Hands fly up to Cain’s wrist, but Cain keeps walking forwards. “ _I oughta shove you inta’ the ocean with a cement brick attached to ya foot! Is that what ya want me to do? Cause I’m about to!_ ”

    A hand grabs Cain’s shoulder, the grip loose enough for Cain to wretch out of it, but tight enough to let the American know this isn’t something he should do. He shouldn’t be fighting this guy when Haruhi is in danger. He very well might kill him. Cain grits his teeth as he clenches his jaw, nodding and loosening his hold when he steps back. “That’s right, walk away you-” Cain whirls around, his fist connecting with the man’s nose with such force there’s an audible crack. The man shouts in pain and crumples, hands on his nose. Cain grabs the front of the man’s shirt, pulling him up a bit as he leans down.

    “Don’t. Fuck. With my family. Ever. Got it, bub?” He asks, his voice almost a growl. The man nods, and Cain lets him drop to the ground again as he turns and stalks away, Mori following him without hesitation. “Is she alright? Is Haruhi okay?” Cain asks as Tamaki carries her out onto the beach. The blonde glances up at the girl’s cousin and nods.

    “Where are they?” Tamaki questions, looking at Kyoya as the grey eyed second-year approaches him.

    “We took their ID cards and told them to get off of our beach. Cain broke the nose of the man who threw Haruhi into the ocean. The girls are at a hotel.” Kyoya informs the blonde, and Cain sees Haruhi stir. “I’ve called a family doctor.”

    “I see…” Haruhi says, and Tamaki puts her down gently. Cain narrows his eyes at the look on his face. “I’m all right. I don’t need a doctor.” Haruhi continues.

    “Are you one of  _those_?” Tamaki questions, blonde locks still covering his eyes. Cain’s eyes snap to him when he hears his tone. “Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai?” Haruhi looks up at the blonde, looking shocked. “How could you think that you, a girl,” Tamaki grabs Haruhi by her shoulders, “by yourself, could do anything against those boys?!” Cain narrows his eyes, stepping forward. Mori places his hand on the American’s shoulder against, and Cain takes a teeth breath as he clenches his jaw.

    “It doesn’t matter that she’s a girl.” Cain snaps. “My sister coulda knocked you on your ass easily.” Cain’s accent is still heavy, but he’s speaking Japanese again and isn’t attacking Tamaki. Or, he hasn’t yet.

    “It has nothing to do with being a boy or a girl.” Haruhi agrees, looking rightfully pissed at the King Host. “I was just there, and didn’t have time to think about anything like-” Tamaki cuts the girl off.

    “Well think about it, you idiot! You are a girl!” Tamaki shouts, and Mori’s hold tightens on Cain when the third-year tenses.

    “I will apologize for making you come after me,” Haruhi starts, sounding calm except for the tremor in voice telling Cain exactly how pissed off she is, “but I can’t understand any other reason why you’d be mad at me. Especially if your reason is because I’m a  _girl_. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

    “You haven’t, huh?” Tamaki questions, lifting his hands from Haruhi shoulder’s and stepping back. The twins and Kyoya move out of Tamaki’s way as he walks past, and Cain clenches his fists. “Then you go right ahead. I’m not speaking to you again until you admit you were wrong!” Tamaki shouts, and Cain rolls his eyes.

    “What a fucking child.”

 

***

 

    “Ta-da!” Honey shouts, face beaming as he places another bowl of crab down. “The crabs are all boiled!”

    “I’m sorry, Senpai, that there aren’t any maids here now.” Kyoya says, and Cain sighs silently. Rich people. How tragic they have to cook and clean their own meals.

    “ _We’re_  the ones that barged in on  _your_  villa Kyo-chan.” Honey states, and Mori nods in agreement. “Takashi, go call Haru-chan in.” The third year makes an affirmative sound before heading off. Cain sighs again, knowing this is going to be a stressful dinner. Honey turns to the other third year. “Cain?”

    “Yeah?” The American asks, turning to Honey.

    “You wanna come over to my house? Takashi lives there too.” Honey adds on like that would change something. It did make the American more likely to go, but he likes Honey too. The third-year is growing on him.

    “Yeah, I don’t see why not. Don’t you have to ask your parents, though?” Cain asks, furrowing his brows.

    “Nah. They’ve been wanting to meet you.” Honey says casually, causing Cain to nearly choke on his drink.

    “What?” Cain coughs, and Honey looks a bit worried, but he smiles again when Cain is breathing correctly again.

    “Yeah. Takashi is talking more than he used to, and they figured it was a new friend. So now they want to meet you.” Honey says, and Cain feels a bit of heat climb up his neck. He forces it down, but he nods.

    “Um, alright. When are you planning on having me visit?” Cain asks. “I don’t really have anything else to do this week.”

    “Hmmmm. Tomorrow.” Honey decides, and Cain raises a brow.

    “Tomorrow?” Honey nods. “Okay, then. Tomorrow.”


	6. The Sun, The Sea, and the Host Club! (2/2)

_Shorter Chapter Sorry_

 

    Honey glances out the window Cain is sitting by as he draws, and the American pauses when he feels eyes on him. “It’s awfully gloomy out there, huh? It looks like it might rain.” Honey says, and Cain glances outside again before nodding and continuing to draw.

    “Speaking of gloomy…” Kaoru says, drawing Cain’s attention. “There’s someone even more gloomy in here than the darkness outside.” Cain glances over at Tamaki, who’s sulking in front of a window.

    “If you’re going to mope like that…”

    “Then you shouldn’t have picked a fight with her.” Cain finishes before Kaoru can. The twins glance over at him with raised brows, but the third-year just shrugs, not even looking up as his pencil flicks across the paper. Haruhi walks in, and Cain glances up. He’d never admit that he looked at Mori before his cousin, whom is dressed in a baby pink dress with salmon sleeves and a dark pink bow near the top.

    “Haruhi, did you buy that dress yourself?” The twins ask, and Cain yawns as he gets to his feet, stretching.

    “Uncle Ryoji repack your bag?” Cain asks, and Haruhi nods, looking a bit annoyed.

    “Dad must’ve.” Haruhi says.

    “Want me to bring you one of my shirts? You can probably roll up your sleeping pants to sleeping shorts.” Cain offers, and Haruhi shakes her head.

    “No, it’s,” Haruhi huffs, “it’s fine for one night. I don’t know why he always wants me to wear stuff like this.” Cain raises a brow when he glances over at the twins. Their expressions are almost comical.

    “Good job, Haruhi’s dad!” The two exclaim, causing both Haruhi and Cain to sigh heavily and roll their eyes.

    “Haru-chan, you look so cute!” Honey exclaims, and Cain can see Tamaki peering around his column with a pink tint to his cheeks. It’s not long before everybody is sitting at the table, and Kyoya pulls out his notebook within seconds. The twins look uncomfortable with the tense silence, and Haruhi somehow ended up next to Tamaki. Cain is sitting on her other side, so it could be worse. Honey glances over at Cain with an uneasy expression, and more is stoic as usual.

    “The air is stuffy, huh?” Hikaru questions, and Kaoru agrees.

    “It’s kind of tense in here.” His twin says, and Cain nearly jumps when Honey shifts closer to him almost unnoticeably.

    “Let’s eat, Haru-chan!” Honey says, attempting to lighten the mood. Cain shakes his head just slightly, leaning back so he’s out of Haruhi’s visual range. “I’m sure the crabs we caught today are delicious.” Haruhi glances at Cain, and the American shrugs before he grabs a leg. Him and Haruhi crack one open at the same time, but Cain takes his time with his crab meat while Haruhi finishes it in a few bites. She moves onto another one soon after, and another after that.

    “These crabs taste in-crab-able.” Haruhi states, and Cain snorts at her failed attempt at humor. Tamaki looks upset though, and that’s probably what the first year is aiming for. “Get it?” Haruhi’s plate continues to pile up as she continues eating, and Cain bumps her gently with her leg to tell her to slow down. She’ll get sick before Tamaki leaves if she keeps eating at this speed. He may not agree with what she’s doing, but he knows there’s no changing her mind as she’s already started.

    “Aren’t you eating too much, to say the least?” Tamaki asks, slight worrying coloring his words. Cain raises a brow as he breaks open another leg.

    “Huh? I thought you weren’t speaking to me.” Haruhi says, looking content as she eats more crab meat.

    “Y-You’re not being cute.” Tamaki stutters, and Cain barely manages to stop his head from snapping up when a large foot nudges him. He glances up almost unnoticeably at Mori, and the other third-year is looking a bit concerned.

_Is she okay?_

     _Probably not._  Cain replies silently as he glances at Haruhi. Mori nods slightly, continuing to eat his crab. Haruhi looks over at Tamaki as she continues eating, seemingly  not caring about what the blonde says. Tamaki scowls, standing up as he slams his hand on the table. Cain raises a brow at him as he chews at crab meat.

    “Okay, I get it. You’re not going to reconsider what you’ve done. Fine, then. I’m going to bed.” Tamaki mutters angrily, walking away with a confident posture. Cain feels a strong urge to trip the blonde as he walks by, but he doesn’t act on it when Mori stares at him with an expression Cain can’t read. “Kyoya, show me to my room.” Tamaki orders, causing Cain to roll his eyes once again at the blonde.

    “All right.” Kyoya says, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, too.” Kyoya says, following Tamaki out of the room. Haruhi falters in breaking another crab leg, and Cain looks at his cousin with worry.

    “Maybe I really  _should_  learn some karate or something.” Haruhi murmurs, and Cain narrows his eyes at the door even though Tamaki has disappeared down the corridor and into a room. Cain scowls, turning away from the door. His expression softens a bit when he looks back at Haruhi.

    “Oh, then it  _is_  bothering you?” The twins ask, and Cain can hear Haruhi sigh a bit sadly.

    “That’s the direction your thoughts are going, is it?” Hikaru asks, his head in his hand.

    “It’s not like we’d stop you, or anything,” Kaoru starts.

    “But that’s not what this is about, is it?” The twins ask, tilting their heads to the left. Cain turns to Haruhi too, kicking up his feet into her lap.

    “If you really want to learn something I can teach you how to fight.” Cain offers, but Haruhi shakes her head as she turns to the twins with questioning eyes.

    “To be honest, I wish you’d reconsider how rashly you acted today, too.” Kaoru states, and Cain narrows his eyes.

    “She did call for me.” Cain says, but then again, it didn’t really help her much.

    “Why? Hikaru, I didn’t make trouble for you guys, did I?” Haruhi asks, and Cain rolls his eyes.  Can’t his cousin see that all the hosts have accepted her into their fucked up family? The twins share the same look with Cain, asking with their eyes how his cousin can be so dense. Cain shrugs.

    “That’s not true, Haru-chan.” Honey says, and Cain glances at him again, leaning back so he can stare at Haruhi. “You should tell everyone you’re sorry, okay? Understand? And tell Tama-chan that you’re sorry for worrying him so much too.”

    “You were all worried about me?” Haruhi asks, and Cain sighs loudly, grabbing his cousin’s attention.

    “Do you believe this girl?” The twins question the three third-years. Mori just eats his crab.

“You scared the shit out of us, Haruhi.” Cain informs the confused girl. Everybody shares a look that nearly makes Cain laugh.

    “Oh…” Haruhi trails off, staring at the table. “I’m sorry.” Cain rolls his eyes as the twins and Honey squish his cousin between them, turning to Mori and starting a small side conversation with the much taller third-year.

    “What’s the matter?” Cain hears the twins ask after a while, and he tunes into their conversation while still chatting with Mori.

    “I don’t feel so good.” Haruhi mutters, and the others let go quickly.

    “Come on, over to the washroom! Over to the washroom!” Hikaru shouts, and Cain shakes his head a bit.

    “Think she ate too much crab.” Cain says, turning back to Mori.

    “Just a bit.” The other third-year states, causing Cain to raise a brow a bit. That’s the longest thing Mori’s said to him the entire time he’s been here. He’s been responding with only one word the entire conversation. Cain turns when his cousin runs down the hallway, frowning a bit.

    “Do you think she’ll be okay?” He asks nobody in particular.

    “She’ll be fine.” Mori says, calming the American down a bit. Cain nods, crossing his arms and going back to talking to Mori about bands. The twins eventually head off to bed, so it’s just Honey, Mori, and Cain in the dining room until Kyoya returns.

    “Hey.” Cain greets the second-year, and Kyoya nods at him. Closest thing to a greeting he’s gotten from the Shadow King, so he’ll take it.

    “I regret to inform you that there’s only one room still available.” Kyoya says, not sounding regretful at all. In fact, he sounds quite amused.

    “I get to share a room with Cain and Takashi!” Honey exclaims happily before Cain or Mori get the chance to say anything. Mori’s eyes are narrowed, and Cain stares at Kyoya’s back in distrust. No more rooms available his ass. The bastard. Honey pulls Cain down the hall with a steel grip on his wrist, and when they enter the room Cain looks around. There’s a very large bed that can fit two people without them touching, and a couch in front of a flat screen TV. Are all the rooms like this?

    “I’ll-” Cain get’s cut off by Honey.

    “I want to sleep on the couch!” Honey shouts giggling and bouncing over to the large piece of furniture. What the hell? Cain glances at Mori, but the taller third-year looks more amused than anything.

    “Uh… Alright?” Cain says hesitantly, furiously shoving down the blush trying to crawl up his neck and onto his face. “Are you okay with me sleeping without a shirt?” Cain asks Mori, and the other host nods, looking a bit more amused. Cain bites the inside of his cheek and goes into the bathroom quickly, changing, brushing his teeth, and splashing his face with cold water in a horrible attempt to make his face less heated. He waits until the blush is gone before he goes back into the main room, faltering a bit when he sees Mori already relaxing on the bed in just sleeping shorts.

    “Cain! What movie do you wanna watch?” Honey asks, bouncing over to the third-year and holding up a collection of Disney and Pixar movies.

    “It doesn’t really matter to me.” Cain informs Honey, and the blonde looks at the movies again before he looks back at Cain, smiling brightly.

    “We can watch them all!” Honey exclaims. Cain nods before he climbs into bed too, getting under the covers and propping up some pillows. Honey makes it through the first three movies, and Cain clenches his jaw when it starts raining after the last one finishes. That means there’s a storm coming soon. Which means thunder and lightning. Shit. Cain glances at Mori and sees that the other third-year is facing the door, his back to Cain. The way his shoulders move tells Cain that it’s likely the other is asleep too, so he turns off the TV and rearranges his pillows again.

    Cain winces when there's a bright flash of lighting, shoving a pillow over his head as a clash of thunder follows quickly. His hands are trembling, and his body follows suit after almost an hour of the storm. Cain clenches his fists when he feels the bed shift, and tenses when an arm wraps around him and pulls him into a warm chest. That’s actually quite muscular for Mori looking so lean. Cain tenses when there’s another clash of thunder, unable to stop himself from putting his fists against Mori’s chest and placing his forehead between them. Mori shifts again, probably still asleep, and he wraps his other arm around the smaller third-year, holding him close.

    Cain falls asleep within twenty minutes.


	7. Short Request

    Mori figured out Haruhi’s fear a few hours ago after she winced at the statement that there was a storm coming. He’d figured out a few minutes later that Cain had the same fear when the other third-year had grimaced when he saw the grey clouds rolling in. Mori is turned on his side to face away from Cain when the TV is shut off and the other third year climbs back into bed. Pillows are shifted behind him, and Mori makes sure to keep his breathing deep and slow so the other thinks he’s sleeping. It takes half an hour for the storm to roll in, and Cain winces at the first clash of thunder.

    Mori hears the third-year shove a pillow over his head, and he frowns a bit, opening his eyes a crack. The room is illuminated with white light, and thunder roars a few seconds after, shaking the windows almost violently. Cain lets out a whimper, and Mori winces a bit at the sound. The much larger third-year tries to find something he can do, and he winces again when Cain cringes at another clash of thunder. He can feel the smaller third-year recoil closer to him, and Mori almost tenses up as he finally figures out what he can do.

    Mori closes his eyes again, stretching like he’s still asleep as he turns over to face Cain. Mori reaches over to Cain, draping an arm over him. Mori frowns when he feels how hard Cain is shaking, but he doesn’t open his eyes. Mori pulls the third-year to him, and holds him against his chest. He can feel Cain’s heart hammering, and Mori place his cheek on top of Cain’s head. The taller third-year curls around the other, breathing deeply in a small hope that Cain will start to do the same.

    Cain shifts so that he’s facing Mori, and after another clash of thunder the smaller third-year presses his forehead against Mori’s chest. His hands rest just below his head, and Mori feels Cain try to take deeper breaths too. Mori shifts slowly until he’s able to wrap his other arm around Cain, and he holds the other third-year tightly. It could be called protectively, if somebody looks close enough.

    It takes Cain twenty minutes to fall asleep, and Mori refuses to truly sleep until he feels Cain’s heartbeat and breathing slow.  



End file.
